Searching for Sugar Man (documentary)

We just happened to stumble upon this 2012 film on Netflix and hadn't heard anything about it before. Not knowing whether it was real or not, we gave it a chance and really enjoyed the strange tale of this obscure troubadour who gained huge success in South Africa, of all places.

Simply known as Rodriguez, Sixto Rodriguez recorded two albums in the late 60's/early 70's for Sussex Records that, while the people involved were enthusiastic, sold almost literally nothing. Sixto left the business and supported his family through menial labor and didn't really look back. Oddly, someone had brought one of his records with them to South Africa where his Dylan-esque, anti-establishment lyrics resonated with the revolutionaries there fighting apartheid. Through bootlegs and other, possibly questionable, releases, he became a superstar, outselling bands like the Rolling Stone and becoming a legend.

But, since he went nowhere in the States, there was no concrete information on him and rumors ran rampant that he was dead, with the most colorful stories being that he committed suicide on stage (either by gun or self immolation!). This was accepted fact, but a couple of writer fans decided to try to find more info on him and after years of research and innumerable dead ends, Rodriguez's daughter discovered their interest via a website and contacted them! This led to the man eventually flying to South Africa in 1998 where he played sold out shows in front of thousands of adoring fans who could not believe that he was even alive. A true fairy tale!

This film is super entertaining, with great story telling that builds up the mystery and superior film work creating lovely shots. Well worth seeing!